


Mr Willis of Ohio

by flawedamythyst



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, POV Outsider, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-10-21
Updated: 2007-10-21
Packaged: 2018-10-16 02:35:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10561970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flawedamythyst/pseuds/flawedamythyst
Summary: The Willises moved in to Number 53 on a Thursday, at 1.38 pm.Written for the Supernatural-West Wing Title Challenge.





	

The Willises moved in to Number 53 on a Thursday, at 1.38 pm. Martha didn't know their names then, of course, so she had to write 'new occupants' in her notebook, but she knew that the youngest son was called 'Sammy,' because the older boy yelled at him to stop dawdling while they were unpacking. They didn't have much to unpack, and Martha carefully noted that down as well: 'brought six duffle bags, one cardboard box and a pile of books. Car is an old black Chevy, number plate KAZ 2Y5.' On her 'To Do' list, she added 'find out names of new occupants' and 'find out exact type of car,' then sat back with satisfaction. She did like to have something to do.

She found out the other boy's name a few hours later, when he came running out into their front yard, holding a book and pursued by the younger boy.

"Dean," he yelled with frustration, "give it back!"

"Only if you promise to help me with dinner," said the older boy, keeping just out of reach of his brother.

"I need to finish it before school starts," reasoned Sammy, trying to back his brother into the corner of the yard and failing.

"You can finish it later," said Dean, feinting right and then ducking left to escape his brother.

"Dean," growled Sammy again, and then tackled him, bringing him crashing to the ground with a crash. Martha couldn't see what happened than, because the fence was in the way, but a few minutes later, Sammy stood up again, clutching the book. He looked slightly flustered, and glanced round at the street. Martha stood very still and made sure not to twitch the curtain. After a moment, he reached out and helped his brother stand up. He said something quiet to him, and then they both went back indoors.

Martha smiled with satisfaction and wrote down this new information in her notebook with the time.

It was two days later before she was able to find out more. Karly Simmons from Number 56 took over a pie and a welcome to the neighbourhood at 6.22pm, and Martha was able to overhear the father's name - John Willis - that the family had just moved from Ohio, that Sammy was enrolled at the High School for his final summer before graduation and that Dean's favourite type of pie was cherry. Karly Simmons wasn't invited in though, despite how much she was angling for it, and batting her eyelashes at John. Martha turned to the page in her journal about Karly Simmons and noted that she was still a brazen hussy and it was no wonder her husband had left her.

On Monday morning, Sammy left the house at 7.16 am, carrying a black rucksack. He walked down the street towards the High School, passing Michael Tanner on his way home from getting the morning newspaper, and Gemma East and Sylvia Norton, who were also headed to the High School, but who were in less of a rush to get there. Sammy didn't glance back at the house, but Martha did, and so was able to note down in her journal that Dean Willis had watched his brother from an upstairs window until he was out of sight.

Sammy quickly became Martha's favourite Willis, although she didn't really like the family at all. They left too many questions unanswered, so that her pages on them were full of question marks. Neither John nor Dean seemed to have a job, and their movements were often inexplicable. They left in the car at strange hours of the day and night, and sometimes didn't come back for several days, leaving Sammy behind. Sometimes, John went on his own, more rarely Dean did, but there was never any pattern to it, and Martha could never find out where they went or why. It frustrated her, so she concentrated on Sammy instead, who quickly fell into a regular pattern that she could document, his comings-and-goings meshing with the rest of the street's residents.

He walked to the High School every morning at around 7.20, except once or twice when it was tipping down with rain and Dean drove him. He returned home every day at 3.25, again on foot, which was generally a bit later than the other High School students in the street but not late enough to indicate that he was part of an after-school club. In the evenings, Martha could often see him sitting at a desk by the window of an upstairs room, presumably doing homework. When his father was home, the time he spent at the desk was shorter and prone to long interruptions, and Martha presumed he had chores to do in other parts of the house. She approved of that - boys should be brought up to be helpful.

His weekend routine depended on whether his Dad or brother was home, but it still held a pattern that Martha could keep track of. When he was alone, he went out on Saturday mornings and brought back a couple of grocery bags, then spent most of the afternoon at his desk. When his brother was home, they still went to get groceries in the morning, but there was no set routine to their afternoons. Sometimes Martha could see Sammy sitting at his desk, other times they'd go somewhere together and return late and once or twice, they'd draw the curtains and stay in. Martha found this particularly frustrating. In fact, it was one of the main reasons she didn't like the older Willis boy - either he knew she was watching (which seemed unlikely...no one had ever so much at glanced at her window since she'd started making her journals) or he was obsessed with curtains in some way, because the chances were, if he was home, they were shut. When Sammy was on his own, he often forgot to shut them at all. Martha liked that - it meant she could keep her records accurate and detailed.

Sunday mornings, the Willis family always went for a run, heading off towards the nearest park. Sammy followed that routine even when he was home alone, although it tended to be a lot shorter when Dean and John were away. When John was home, he drove them all somewhere, presumably to one of the other parks in the area, or maybe even out to the woods over towards the next town. They all tended to return covered in mud, so it was unlikely they were running on the established jogging trails. Dean always seemed to be buzzing with energy when they came back, bouncing around and indulging in horseplay that, in Martha's opinion, he was really too old for. Sammy was usually a lot quieter and more withdrawn, although he tolerated his brother's behaviour.

When John was home, the weekend was mainly spent in the house, except for the Sunday morning run. Sammy rarely seemed to be at his desk, and he never went out in the evenings. Usually, there were loud arguments as well. Martha couldn't hear the words, but she heard the voices, and she could tell that Sammy and his father had some fairly significant differences. Usually they ended with Sammy storming out the front door and sitting on the front porch, his anger and frustration visibly radiating off him. Dean tended to slip out a few minutes later, although sometimes he was already out there, perhaps trying to get away from the raised voices. The brothers would have a quiet conversation, Dean's voice low and soothing, while Sammy clenched his fists and gave one word answers. They'd end up sitting in silence for a while until Sammy had calmed down, then they'd go back inside the house.

 

 

****

 

By the time June started, Martha felt that she knew the Willis family as well as she knew any of the the families in the street, even with their irregular habits. She also knew that Sylvia Norton fancied herself in love with Dean, because he was 'amazingly hot' and 'so cool - like James Dean-cool.' Gemma East agreed with her that Dean was 'mighty fine' but clearly had a thing for Sammy instead, if the way her eyes followed him, and her attempts to leave her house at the same time as him in the mornings was anything to go by. Martha though Gemma would have rather more luck than Sylvia - Dean largely ignored both girls, except when they were with Sammy, but she had a suspicious feeling that both girls were barking up the wrong trees. Neither of the Willis boys seemed to have any interest in romance, and Martha suspected that their father had laid down the law about it at some stage. Maybe that was what Sammy kept fighting with him about.

She still didn't know where John and Dean went when they went away though. John had told Mrs Felton that he ran a consulting business, and that he was training Dean in it, but he didn't go into any details, and Martha was pretty sure that most consultants didn't wear old jeans and a leather jacket to work.

Her suspicions were confirmed on June 16th, when the Impala arrived home at 3.47 am, driven slightly faster than was usual. John got out of the driving seat, glanced around the street, and opened one of the back doors, where Martha could see a dark shape. Sammy came out of the house a moment later - he'd obviously been waiting up for them to return - and rushed to his father's side. Whatever was in the back seat made him take a deep breath and for a moment he looked a bit unsteady. John said something short to him and Sammy nodded. Together, they helped the dark shape out of the car, and it resolved itself into Dean under the light of the street lamp, but he was clearly ill or injured in some way, because he had to be pretty much carried into the house. When they got him up onto the porch, Martha could see blood soaking darkly into his pants, and striped across his face. It looked like a lot, and Martha wondered why he hadn't been taken to hospital. They took Dean inside, and a minute later, Sammy came out and got something out of the trunk of the Impala, then shut all the doors and disappeared back inside the house.

When he appeared for school the next morning, he looked exhausted, as if he hadn't slept, and he was 17 minutes later than his average leaving time. Gemma had given up waiting for him and headed off to school already, but Sammy didn't seem that worried about being late. If anything, he looked reluctant to leave the house, glancing back at the upstairs window that Martha knew was Dean's bedroom several times before he reached the end of the street.

John left again 68 minutes after Sammy came home from school. Sammy came out of the house with him, and stood on the porch while he threw a bag in the trunk, and got in the car with a furrowed brow and tense shoulders. He didn't turn back to meet Sammy's eyes before he took off down the street, but Sammy watched him go, standing on the porch for two minutes before rousing himself and going back inside the house.

He didn't go to school the next day, and Martha didn't see either of the Willis boys again until June 18th, when Sammy walked to the grocery store and came back with two bags of groceries and a smaller one from the drug store. He was walking faster than he usually did, as if desperate to be back.

On June 19th, Gemma East knocked on the door of Number 53, looking nervous and self-important all at once. It took Sammy three minutes to answer, during which time Gemma became more nervous, and when he opened the door he was rumpled and shirtless. Martha watched her eyes rivet to his chest, before she pulled herself together and said something. Sammy blinked at her before replying, as if trying to remember who she was, then pulled a bright smile out of nowhere.

Martha didn't understand what he said exactly, but she caught 'brother' and 'sick' and snorted to herself, because Dean hadn't looked like he had the flu when they'd carried him into the house.

The next day, Gemma stopped at the Willis house on her way home from school and gave Sammy a stack of paper - homework, Martha assumed. Gemma was obviously angling for an invite inside, fingers in her hair and what she probably imagined was a charming smile on her face. Sammy smiled at her, said something that looked polite rather than meaningful and shut the door.

Sylvia went round about an hour later, carrying a ceramic dish and looking important. Martha stifled a smile as she noted down how long it took Sammy to answer the door. Obviously, Sylvia had heard that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. Sammy seemed completely taken aback by this gesture, stammering thanks and giving Sylvia a puzzled look, as if he wasn't entirely sure she was normal. Sylvia didn't get an invite in either though, turning away disappointedly when Sammy took the dish from her and shut the door.

Sammy started back at school the day after that, although he slipped home at lunchtime for half an hour. His father came home four days later, at 10.47pm. Sammy helped him carry a couple of bags in from the car, looking angry and resentful as he did so. Martha shook her head at the youth of today, who had no respect for their parents. John shouldn't have disappeared like that, leaving Sammy with Dean, but that was no reason not to be pleased to see him again. There wasn't an argument that night, although Martha was expecting one. The next morning, Sammy still looked angry when he left the house and barely even acknowledged Gemma's presence when she hurried across the road to walk with him.

John went out that afternoon, but he didn't take the Impala. Instead, a man in a dirty cap picked him up in a truck that looked like it had seen better days. He wasn't back when Sammy came home from school, and Martha wondered if he'd gone off on one of his trips again. Maybe there was something wrong with the Impala.

At 5.28pm, he returned home, driving a shiny black truck that he parked neatly outside the house. Sammy came out onto the porch and frowned at it until John said, "Go get your brother," in a voice that didn't expect to be disobeyed.

Sammy narrowed his eyes, but went back in the house. John stood by the Impala while he waited, and stroked a careful hand across its roof. Martha perked up - this looked like it was going to be an event, and right out on the street as well, so she could see everything.

Dean needed Sammy's help to get out on to the porch, but he shook him off when he got close enough to hold himself up on the railings. Sammy stepped back, but Martha could see that he was standing too close to Dean still, hovering in case he needed help. Dean ignored him, and took in the truck, and his father standing by the Impala with a glance before his eyes widened in fear.

"You're not going to get rid of the Impala, are you?"

John turned towards him with a smile. "No," he said, "Of course not." Dean relaxed a bit. "I just thought it would be easier if we had two vehicles, especially while you boys are here alone so often."

Dean looked at the truck again, and Martha could see disbelief dawning on his face. "You're going to give us a truck?" he said.

John smiled wider. "Nope," he said, and walked towards the porch, pulling a set of keys out of his pocket.

Dean's eyes flicked back to him, frowning slightly. "Then wha--" He stopped abruptly as John held out the keys to him.

"I figured the truck would be better for me," said John. "I'm giving you the Impala." There was a slight emphasise on 'you' that Dean didn't seem to hear, but Martha saw Sammy notice it.

Dean just kept staring at his father and the keys he was holding out, shock making his face pale. "Really?" he said hoarsely, after a minute.

"Really," said John, taking Dean's hand and putting the keys in them. "You better treat her right, though."

Dean looked down at the keys for a long moment, and when he looked up at his father, Martha could see that it had finally sunk in. His face was transformed with joy. He said something in a voice too quiet for Martha to hear, and she twitched her lips with annoyance. What was the point of doing these things in public if they didn't speak up so she could hear them?

Sammy had to help Dean down the porch steps, but Dean didn't seem to even notice him. He stopped by the car and stroked his hand across the roof in a gesture that was shockingly similar to his father's earlier one. John smiled at his back, then went inside the house, leaving his sons to stand by the car.

"She's mine," said Dean, still sounding dazed.

Sammy and John spent the rest of the afternoon transferring things from the Impala to the new truck. Dean started off trying to help them, until Sammy firmly told him to sit on the porch, because he was getting in the way. Dean scowled at him, but did as he was told, sitting back and watching them do the work, occasionally giving them instructions.

When they were finished, John went inside, clapping a hand on Dean's shoulder as he passed him. Sammy looked at Dean in silence for a moment, then asked if Dean wanted him to wash the car. Dean shook his head and carefully levered himself upright. Sammy helped him back inside the house.

Martha noted down the time and shook her head. Parents now spoiled their children far too much. In her day no one would ever have dreamed of giving their child a car, even an old one that was no longer wanted.

 

****

John left again the next day, very early in the morning. Martha didn't see much of either of the Willis boys, except for Sammy's walk to and from school, over the next few days. Dean came out once or twice and sat in the Impala's driving seat, late at night. Sammy usually came out to find him after a few minutes, and they'd sit in there together, which annoyed Martha. she couldn't hear what they were saying inside the car, and it was parked so that all she could see was the vaguest silhouettes through the back window.

Thursday of the next week, Dean came out of the house during the day, a couple of hours after Sammy had gone to school. He was moving easier now, obviously healing up, and he ran his hands over the chassis of the car, then stood looking at it for a while, hands braced on the hood. After a few minutes, he disappeared back into the house and came back out with a bucket of soapy water, and started to wash it. He did an extremely thorough job, going over every inch including the wheels before waxing it down. When Sammy came home, he was inside the car, cleaning out the back seat.

Sammy watched him for a moment, then Dean said something in a grumpy tone that Martha couldn't hear.

"Don't whine at me when your leg seizes up," said Sammy, and then went into the house before Dean could reply. Dean directed a scowl at his back and then turned back to the carpets.

 

****

John was still away three days later, when Dean took Sammy off for a drive when he got home from school. They were gone for several hours, and came back with loud music blaring out loud enough to wake the neighbourhood. It was that awful modern stuff that was more noise than music, and Martha was extremely glad when it got abruptly shut off as they turned into their driveway.

Later that night, Martha watched the two boys slip out to the car again at 2.37am, and wondered if they were going for another drive. Really, she just didn't understand this obsession with motor vehicles - Tony Villiers at Number 49 had a big motorbike, which he'd carefully clean every Sunday morning, then blast off on in the afternoon, dressed all in black leather. Martha had never been able to work out what the point of it was - surely his Mazda was more comfortable?

The Willis boys didn't drive anywhere that night, though. In fact, neither of them even climbed into the driver's seat. They both got into the back seat, which Martha was obscurely grateful for, as it meant she could see slightly better. The view wasn't by all means perfect though, and even after they had climbed back out at 4.02am and gone back inside the house, she was trying to convince herself that she was merely mistaken. There was no way those boys had been doing _that_ , surely? The family were strange, but they weren't that strange - no one was that strange. And they were from Ohio, not Arkansas.

After that, though, she kept her eyes open, just in case she had been right and she began to think she must have been. It was nothing she could put her finger on completely though, and that annoyed her. She liked to deal with facts and she couldn't put down vague feelings in her journal. Still, the fact remained that Dean watched Sammy a lot more than was normal for a brother, and that the only time Sammy ever remembered to close his curtains was when Dean came into his room. Slightly more quantifiable was the way Dean's hand would curl around Sammy's sometimes when they sat on the porch after he'd had a fight with his father. It was never for long though, and Martha couldn't be sure that it wasn't just her eyesight playing tricks on her, or a normal gesture for today's overly-coddled, touchy-feely youth.

 

****

 

The Willis family moved out on Wednesday, July 11th. Well, Dean and John moved out on that Wednesday - Sammy was already gone. The Monday before, the biggest row that Martha had heard to date had broken out, both Sammy and John shouting hard enough for Martha to hear - for the whole street to hear occasionally phrases.

"...Abandoning the family..."

"...Obsession with revenge..."

"...Waste of time!"

"I just want to live my own life!"

Dean left the house early, going to sit in his car. Martha could see him hunched over, his head resting on the steering wheel.

At 2.28pm, Sammy stormed out of the house for the last time, carrying two of the duffle bags they'd moved in with. His face was black with rage, but when he stopped by the car and bent down to talk to Dean through the window, Martha saw his expression break into desperation. Whatever they said was too quiet for Martha to hear, but she could see that Dean's face was wiped blank of all emotion. Sam stretched out a hand, as if to touch his brother's neck, and Martha held her breath for a moment. Was this going to be the definite, physical proof that she'd been looking for? Instead, Dean flinched away and Sammy let his hand fall again. Dean turned his face away, looking out the windscreen, and said something. Sammy straightened up and sighed, then walked round to the passenger side and climbed in. Dean pulled out without looking back at the house, and Martha wondered if either of the boys knew their father was watching them from the sitting room window.

Dean didn't come back till late that evening, but Sammy wasn't with him. He climbed out of the car slowly, as if he had arthritis, and stood on the porch for a long moment before pushing open the front door and going inside.

When Dean and John Willis moved out, they took four duffle bags, a cardboard box and a pile of books. They climbed into their vehicles and took off without saying a word to each other. Martha took out her ruler and carefully drew a thick black line across the page in the notebook on Number 53, ready for the next occupants.


End file.
